Considering how crazy 2020 has been and the world seemingly heading into a darker 2021, many of us (believers) are on an emotionally draining roller-coaster ride. To be honest, I have been at peace and calm during these chaotic days.  Even though, admittedly I am probably the worst believer there is (Paul might argue he was worse). Almighty God still calls upon me, as He does YOU.

I have most recently been exhorting us all to “Sharpen our sWORD”. It’s quite easy to get overwhelmed by the world to lose sight of the Lord and starve ourselves from His word by not reading our Bibles. I am guilty of this as I’m sure some of you are. The thing about that is we are at war. We have always been at war; this is nothing new to the current events of the day. Perhaps for some of us that live in a relative comfort, do not suffer persecution, and are free to share the Gospel (for now), we have been oblivious to the evils of the world. I think that 2020 has served as a wake-up call to many dormant believers. The reality of the last days approaching is starting to sting as time flows onward to “The Day of the LORD”  

God calls each of us to many different ministries. We are all different parts of ONE Body. For one, every single believer is called (Commanded) to share the Good News of Salvation in the Messiah, Jesus Christ:

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)

God also calls each of us to unique duties, tasks, and ministries. In these areas we must always be ready for action and prepared. Also, be sure of God’s will and timing for whatever He calls you to. Take Moses for example. Moses knew deep inside he was to aide his Hebrew brothers, yet long before God called him, he acted by killing the Egyptian:

Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?” Then he said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” So Moses feared and said, “Surely this thing is known!” (Exodus 2:11-14)

Even though the LORD would call Moses to deliver His people Moses acted in his will (the flesh) not God’s will. It took forty more years before the LORD called Moses from a burning bush:

So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” (Exodus 3:4)

Moses replied, “Here I am” In Hebrew it is (הנני) Hineni. It is the same reply several others responded to the LORD with:

• Abraham: Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” (Genesis 22:1)
• Jacob: Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, ‘Jacob.’ And I said, ‘Here I am.‘ (Genesis 31:11)
• Samuel: that the LORD called Samuel. And he answered, “Here I am!” (1 Samuel 3:4)
• Isaiah: Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)
•  Ananias: Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” (Acts 9:10) The Koine Greek used here is ιδου εγω, the same words used by the Septuagint (Koine Greek Old Testament) in all the above OT verses.

I encourage you all to study the above text further. You’ll notice that many times the person that replied “Here I am” obeyed despite not wanting to do the task or “Carry their Cross” so to speak.  Hineni means much more than simply “I am present”. It is a response to readiness to obey, much like a soldier when he replies “YES SIR”, when called by his officer to run a satchel charge into an enemy bunker complex braving a storm of bullets. The Soldier replies to the call, he obeys the orders, and he carries out his mission (calling). He does so willingly despite not really wanting to do the task. After all, what normal person would really want to brave bullets and recklessly risk death?

My Friends at One for Israel put it well:

There is a powerful word in Hebrew that sums up three words in English. The word is Hineni (הנני), which means “Here I am!” But you’ve got to watch out how you say it, because it is a way of expressing total readiness to give oneself – it’s an offer of total availability.

When God called out to Moses from the burning bush, Moses replied, “Hineni!” And you know what assignment he was given, and what happened next. When God approached Abraham to ask him to offer his only son as a sacrifice, Abraham responded, “Hineni!” not knowing what God was about to ask. God called out to the young boy Samuel three times before Samuel finally responded, “Hineni! I’m listening!” Many hundreds of years later, when God asked who would go for him in Isaiah 6, and the prophet willingly offered himself with a cry of “Hineni!” Send me!”

It can be used by family members, ready to be fully available and ready to pay attention, or ready to obey instructions. A bit like turning up and reporting for duty. Some translations include a “Behold” in the “here am I” statement, emphasising that they are present and ready for action. It is often children saying it as an expression of readiness to submit to their parents’ requests, although not exclusively.

It is, of course, the appropriate way to respond to God whenever he calls. His wish should be our command.

But God often says it of himself, when announcing what he is going to do. Often they are very gracious acts that cost him dearly. Interestingly, the very first one is bringing the flood – we cannot imagine how much that must have hurt him to do. But God also says “Hineni” when he is announcing a covenant he will make, the brunt of which he would always end up bearing. It appears many times in the prophetic writings, often translated, “Behold, I will…” But it is more like, “Behold! Here I am, doing this thing!”

God is our ever-present help, as David reminds us in Psalm 46, and there are multiple times throughout scripture where we read the question, “What can I do for you?” As ridiculous as it might seem, God actually makes himself available to us, and has shown that he is ready to pay the highest cost – even the life of his only Son. He invites us to share our requests and needs with him, and is always listening to our cry. “Hineni” – “Here I am”, the Great I Am stoops to assure us. He hears us, he sees us, he knows our struggle, and he is always there. He is mighty, he is our rescuer, and the dread warrior by our side. He promises to listen to our prayers and to answer, according to his will – the very best and perfect decision will be made.

There is a verse buried in the David and Jonathan saga, in which Jonathan promises his beleaguered best friend, “Tell me what your soul desires, and I will do it for you” (1 Sam 20:4). It caught my attention, because it is the same kind of devoted readiness as the shout of “Hineni!” Sometimes, I believe that the Lord would whisper this in our ear. As breathtaking as that might sound, it happens! God says it to Solomon, and Yeshua says it to people that he met in his earthly ministry sometimes. “What would you like me to do for you?”

But then, I thought that I wanted to ask the Lord the same question: “What is on your heart, Lord? What do you desire? And I will do whatever you ask”. Knowing God, that is a dangerous promise to make. He does ask people to do some pretty wild things. But it’s always totally worth it.

God has already shown his great willingness, devotion, and availability to us as was perfectly demonstrated on the cross. He is permanently listening to whatever we have to say or ask for, but do we shrink back from unconditionally responding to his call and his requests of us?

This calls for love. This calls for devotion. Availability, and willingness to sacrifice for the other. God is devoted to us, but will he find unconditional devotion and readiness to pay the cost in us? What if God was to call your name out loud today? Are you ready to offer yourself to his service, not even knowing what it might be? We don’t have to wait until we hear an audible call, we can just report for duty as we come into his presence, and tell him we’re ready to do his will. Ready for action, present and correct.

Here I am, Lord! Hineni! Send me! [Source]

God may soon be calling YOU. Will you answer “Hineni {Here I am}” ~OR~ will God get…. I’m sorry the person you’re trying to reach is unavailable. Please leave a message [BEEP]…

The time to sharpen your sword is NOW!

1. Be prepared.  Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. (2 Timothy 4:2). Read HIS Word, be fed and sharp.
2. Expect sacrifice. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1-2) If you fail, rally yourself, repent and press on.
3. Expect trial and remain focused.  Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.  Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;  not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;  rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;  distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. (Romans 12:9-13) Always keep your eyes on Jesus. Never forget to love one another as He loved us.

When He calls will you answer HINENI?

Shalom,

Brian